Harry Potter or Super Nintendo Land? Everything we know about Universal's new theme park in Bedford

The announcement that Universal is to open its first European theme park in the UK has been welcomed as bringing "growth, jobs and joy" to the country.

With a scheduled date of 2031, the group has just six years to turn a sprawling disused brickworks in Bedfordshire into one of the continent's biggest tourist attractions.

The news has been greeted with excitement from locals and government alike.

But how significant could this be, what rides can visitors expect and what will it mean for the area?

Here's everything we know so far about Universal's plans for a new theme park in Bedfordshire.

Where will it be built?

Europe's first Universal theme park is set to be built on a 476-acre site in Bedfordshire, the former Stewartby Brickworks which it bought in 2023.

The site closed in 2008 - because it was unable to meet new emission standards - bringing an end to more than 110 years of brick-making in the area. It was once the biggest of its kind in the world, producing up to 500m bricks a year and employing 2,000 people. The last of its landmark 230ft chimneys were demolished in 2021.

Located six miles south of Bedford, in the hamlet of Kempston Hardwick, the theme park will be nestled between the A421 and A6, with two rail lines - the Midlands Main Line and Marston Vale Line - running either side.

The site includes at least two water-filled former clay pits, many of which were dotted around the brickworks during its heyday.

What do we know about the plans?

The construction of the site is set to take around five years, with the hope that it will open in 2031 - and could welcome more than 8.5 million visitors in its first year.

At its peak, more than 5,000 workers will be needed on site as part of the building work with the construction set to create a total of 20,000 jobs.

Once opened, bosses expect the resort and theme park to create 8,000 new jobs in the hospitality and creative industries.

NBCUniversal said 80% of those jobs should go to people in the Bedfordshire and surrounding area.

What rides and attractions will there be?

For fans, this is one of the key questions - and industry experts have already been having their say.

NBCUniversal owns brands including the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, The Minions, The Simpsons, and Shrek.

Dr Sabrina Mittermeier, a lecturer in American cultural history who has written several books on the growth of theme parks worldwide, said she expected Universal to capitalise on the park's British roots.

"In the US, the biggest intellectual property is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and being in the UK, I fully expect them to go all out with that, especially since there’s going to be a remake of that too," she said.

"They also recently started to open several Super Nintendo lands. They started in Japan with that, unsurprisingly, but they’ve expanded in the US so I fully expect them to do the same in the UK, which will be a massive draw for a European audience as well."

Officially, no details have yet been shared about the individual rides and attractions that will be on site.

UniversalNBC told ITV News it was "too early to confirm specifics" but promised the site would include its usual "brand of immersive storytelling, rides, attractions, entertainment and hospitality - like food and merchandise venues".

Its Orlando resort in Florida includes a recreation of Diagon Alley, from Harry Potter, allowing visitors to board the Hogwarts Express and travel deep underground into the vaults of Gringotts, while thrill-seekers can ride the Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

In Japan, visitors get to join a boat tour that comes face to face with Jaws and ride a mine cart with Donkey Kong, while in Singapore, customers can hang out with the Despicable Me family and visit Shrek's fairytale world of Far Far Away.

What else will be on the site?

As well as the park attractions, Universal also has plans for a 500-room hotel and a retail and entertainment complex.

And analysts say the size of the site will give the entertainment giant room to be flexible with its plans.

Dr Mittermeier said the company would be aiming to build a destination where visitors could stay and spend several days, not just make a day trip.

"It sounds like it is definitely a massive venture and I would expect them to want to expand in the years after," she said, suggesting that may mean a second park on the site.

"[Maybe] five to 10 years later, which is usually what you do, and what Disney has done in the past. You don’t want to open with too much right out of the gate because it is just too big of an investment."

The government has promised a major investment in infrastructure and transport around the site to support the delivery of the project and make sure it is easily accessible for visitors, with plans already in the works for an expansion to Luton Airport, and an East-West rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.

What's the timeline?

Despite the scale of the project, Universal hopes that it can start construction work in 2026 and have the park up and running just five years later.

It's an ambitious building programme that mirrors the speed of development so far, given that it was only in December 2023 that Universal confirmed the purchase of the land, and announced it was exploring the possibility of building a new theme park and resort.

In Spring 2024 public engagement events took place in the local area, and in July leaders and chief executives from the site's six surrounding local authorities wrote an open letter of support to the government.

On 9 April 2025, Comcast NBCUniversal confirmed its intention to build Europe's first Universal-branded theme park and resort after signing a deal with the UK government.

The company will submit a planning proposal directly to the UK government in 2025-26, with a view to starting construction in 2026.

If all goes to plan, the proposed opening date for the new Universal theme park and resort would be 2031.

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